Rules/FAQ for 2025

 Hello friends and fans of baseball (and money),

Welcome (back) to Bunting's Postseason Baseball Pool -- the postseason pool for everyone! You don't need to know a lot about baseball; you just have to know who's in the playoffs, and how to count. And that last one is optional, now that I think about it.

The set-up and instructions for entry appear below. No substantive changes since last year, but if you're new or have any questions, LMK.

For an overview of previous years' action, feel free to browse around the BPP blog, http://buntingspostseasonpool.blogspot.com. (You'll also find a postseason overview here, although as of this writing we still don't have a finalized bracket: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-playoff-picture-and-bracket-2025)

Think I left someone off the dist list? Forward at will; the more the merrier! (Don't want to play this year? You'll fall off this dist list next week.)

Deadline for picks/payment is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 10 (ten) PM ET.  

(Yeah, it snuck up on me too.) (Also: it's the 20th BPP! What a time to be alive.)


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THE SCORING

It works like this: you pick four (4) position players; points come from total bases.

single, e.g. = 1 pt.
double = 2 pts.
triple = 3 pts., etc.


For example, in the game linked here, Kyle Schwarber notches 11 points: https://www.mlb.com/gameday/marlins-vs-phillies/2025/09/24/776201/final/box

 

THE MONEY

Entry is $10 a pop. PayPal it to bunting at tomatonation dot com (or Venmo/sarahdbunting).

Winner takes 70 percent of the pot; second place takes 20 percent; third place takes 10 percent. In the event of a tie, the money will be divided evenly between/among players with the same point totals.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"Do my players all have to be on the same team as each other?"  No.

"CAN all my players be on the same team as each other?" Yes.

"Can I duplicate other people's picks?" Yes. (You won't see everyone else's picks until all the picks are in anyway.)

"Can I play a half slate for half the money?" No. Too complicated.

"Can I play more than one slate?" You can play two (2) slates max. Your slates must be different from each other. Each slate is $10.

"Can I pick my slate early and just risk it re: the wild-cards/byes?" Yes, you can turn in your picks now if you like. 

"But...you don't think I should." Real talk: I don't know. This is quite literally why they play the games; short serieses behave strangely, and we don't know what's going to "work" until Halloween, usually, so go with your gut.   

"What if everybody's out by the World Series?" This is, historically, unlikely; should it occur, everyone will receive one (1) amnesty pick, with previous points carrying. ...We'll jump off that bridge if we get to it.

"How am I supposed to keep track of all these stats?" You aren't; I do that. Do feel free to check my work, though! (I use MLB.com's box scores.)

"Can I forward this to my friend/loved one/co-worker?" Please do! If they've got the ten bucks, they're welcome to play. 

"Who won last year?" Michael A. is your incumbent, angling for a triple crown.


 

HOW TO ENTER

Give me $10 and your picks by MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 10 (TEN) PM ET.  bunting@tomatonation.com is my PayPal; sarahdbunting is my Venmo. 9/29 at 10 PM is the deadline and is not negotiable. If we are related by blood or marriage, you may hand me a sawbuck. Everyone else needs to use PayPal or some other electronic means. 

When you send your pool money, I will send you an email confirming your picks and receipt of the money. I'll also post the points breakdown on the blog on a daily basis (or as close as possible to that); once again, that's here: http://buntingspostseasonpool.blogspot.com/.

You must pay to enter; you are not entered until you get an email from me saying so; you may not enter late. $10 by 9/29 at 10 PM ET.

Have fun! Questions/edits/human frailties, email me.

Sarah